Jawed Ahmad

freelance

March 11, 2009, in Kandahar, Afghanistan

Ahmad, 23, was shot while driving on a main street in Kandahar, not far from the governor’s palace, according to The Canadian Press and Agence France-Presse. Another car, which the Canadian network CTV identified as a white Toyota, pulled alongside the passenger side and a gunman opened fire. Ahmad died at the scene, CTV said, citing Qasim Khan, the physician who pronounced him dead. The journalist was known by his nickname, Jojo, and also used the surname Yazemi or Yazamy.

Ahmad was a freelance field producer for CTV and worked for a number of other news organizations. He also pursued business projects unrelated to journalism.

Paul Workman, a former CTV Afghanistan correspondent, wrote glowingly about Ahmad in a station blog post: “Jojo was good. He had no training in journalism, but pursued stories with enviable passion and courage, driven by an urge to get ahead fast. He wanted to take better pictures than anybody else, he wanted to get better interviews; he simply wanted to please. And he wasn’t afraid, or at least he never showed it.”

Beginning in October 2007, U.S. military forces detained Ahmad and held him without charge for 11 months. The U.S. Department of Defense said he was being held as an “unlawful enemy combatant” but gave no further explanation. The journalist was freed from Bagram Air Base in September 2008. He was never charged with a crime.

No claims or responsibility came from any political or militant groups in the days after his death.

Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.